The Internet Explorer 9 RC snagged 2 million downloads in a week

We knew that the Internet Explorer 9 beta was popular, but we had no gut feelings either way on how well the release candidate would perform. After all, most people wanted to play with the beta out of curiosity, how many would bother to upgrade a test toy?

As it turns out, millions. The RC for Internet Explorer 9 has surged past two million downloads in just a week. To be clear, eventually beta users will be prompted to upgrade from the beta to the RC, but the two million number is for “user-initiated” downloads of the RC only.

Microsoft said in a blog post that the company is “encouraged by this early response” to the new browser.

The RC includes improved tabs, a tweaked UI, and tracking protection. Tracking protection, along with ActiveX filtering make up the two new core security components that Microsoft hopes will change the world’s view of its browsing technology.

Despite improvements, Microsoft carries with it a legacy market perception of dramatic insecurity and instability in the browser space. Internet Explorer 9 is its comeback vehicle. A mobile version of IE9 will be coming to Windows Phone 7 later this year.